The Old Man of the Mountain & Oogie Boogie's Song

I don't think I've ever talked about a Betty Boop cartoon before, but I guess there's a first time for everything.

This particular one, The Old Man of the Mountain, is one I think I was drawn to because of the music choice. Cab Calloway actually did some songs for the cartoons. I know he also sang for Minnie the Moocher (without a doubt the biggest mindfuck of the animated world).

I have the funny feeling what draws me to the Fliecher's cartoons of this era was simply the animation and the music... that's it! Even though the stories were weak and weird as hell, at least they aren't boring! In fact, I think most of them are really funny simply because of how crazy these cartoons were. (kind of like watching Ren and Stimpy, actually.) Old Man is probably my personal favorite one so far. You can watch it below.

I also wanted to bring up the kind of influence Betty Boop has on animation, even today.

I'm sure someone's gonna read this and think: What does The Nightmare Before Christmas have to do with Betty Boop? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

Actually, I want you guys to find this movie (if you have it) and watch it again. Specifically, watch the scene where the main villain Oogie-Boogie enters. That whole song sequence seems to have somewhat been influenced on those Calloway-Beety Boop catoons. From what I've researched, Tim Burton asked the film's composer, Danny Elfman, to listen to Minnie the Moocher as an aid for writting Oogie-Boogie's song. You can really feel the influence in the song. There's even a line from the original cartoon that was homaged in the movie! I'm not saying what it is, though!

The song itself is really damn good. I'd be lying if I didn't say it wasn't one of the best villian songs ever composed! I can tell that Oogie's actor, Ken Page, seemed to really enjoy himself when singing this. He really seems to combine the darkness and sadistic nature of the character with the pure enjoyment of what Oogie plans on doing with Santa. In fact, I think you can learn everything you need to know about Oogie is in this song. (aside from what he's really stuffed with. Again, watch it for yourself!)

Don't believe me? Watch it yourself!

Professor Ludwig von Drake

My God, I love this guy! He always brightens my day with his kooky narrations and wacky inventions. I just think he's one of the most underrated Disney characters out there (Trust me, there's a lot!). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he was created by Bill Justice (Wikipedia now says both Walt and Milt Kahl created him now) as a host for The Wonderful World of Color. As an added bonus, Paul Frees created that wonderful German accent he speaks in. Today, the equally-talented Corey Burton performs him. Below are some videos of his best stuff, including his Academy Award nominated short, A Symposium on Popular Songs (1962), and two of my favorite shorts of his from House of Mouse.

Orville and Other Big News!

This is Orville. He's one of my latest creations. I have lots, o lots more in the future! I'll have to post them whenever I get the chance.

I have big news! I just met a voice actor living in Houston that's very interested in helping me develop my show as well as voice a few characters! I only hope I can make a short with his help in the future.

A Wild Hare

Bug's first cartoon and Oscar nod. It's a great, funny short with beautiful animation done by Virgil Ross and Rod Scribner. The backgrounds are just as lovely. I wanted to post this one because today is actually Tex Avery's birthday! If he was still around he'd be 103 today. So happy birthday to the funniest cartoonist ever.

As a bonus, enjoy my favorite Tex Avery cartoon as well.

Der Fueher's Face

Where do I begin with this one?

Well, it's my favorite Disney cartoon that won an Oscar. It's funny, daring, politically incorrect, friggin' sweet, and it's Donald!

Of course, it was made in WWII, if you couldn't tell by the title. Ol' Uncle Walt was probably one of the most patriotic Americans back then, and he definitely had a hand with the victory on the home front with all those propaganda films he did. This is one of those films, but it's weapon is comedy, not information. It's almost like watching a Daffy cartoon. Key word: almost.

Another nice thing about it is that it doesn't really cram education down your throat like some of the others he and his artists did.

I think that Disney was really right on the money with Donald. In this period, Jack King was the director that handled Donald the best. Dick Lundy did a good job with Donald as well, but Jack Hannah from the late 40's -50's did better. So did Jack Kinney on the few he did.

Geez, there's a lot of Jacks here.

Life With Feathers

Nominated for the 1946 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but lost to the Tom and Jerry cartoon, Quiet, Please! It's funny how it's Freling's cartoons are the ones to get nominated for this award.

Also the first appearance of one of my favorites and also Freling's baby, Sylvester.

Knighty Knight Bugs

So far, the only Bugs Bunny cartoon to win an Oscar. Nice entry, but I think Hare-Way to the Stars would have been a better choice for this year.

And, as a bonus, here's a video of the cartoon actually winning the award.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6AipTOMpd0&feature=related

Birds Anonymous

It's February! You know what that means? OSCAR MONTH!!

This February, I'm posting cartoons that have been nominated or won an Oscar for Best Animated Short. I posted Rooty Toot Toot earlier today, but this one is one of my all-time favorite cartoon that was recognized by the Academy as well as, what I think, the best Sylvester-Tweety cartoon.

I just love the black humor in this one. What Sylvester goes through in this cartoon is a definite parallel to anyone that has ever tried to give up an addiction, whether it's smoking, alcohol, drugs, sex, or anything else. There' s also a pretty good morale summed up by Tweety at the end. And of course, it's pulled off with the traditional Warner Bros. slapstick.

Ed Seltzer had died before this cartoon won, but Mel Blanc accepted it for him. He later went on to say that this was one of his favorites to voice for, especially Sylvester.

Do I think Birds Anonymous deserved it's Oscar?

Yes. Yes I do.

Creating Animated Cartoons with Character

Another great book worth the purchase! Written by animator Joe Murray, creator of the Emmy-winning shows Rocko's Modern Life and Camp Lazlo, this book is essentially a guide-line for those of us wanting to get into the animation business. It features not only some neat production art from both shows and the short films he's done, but it also has some great pointers on how to make a TV-show with great characters in mind. I have to admit, the man gives great, solid advice.

I personally enjoy Murray's work, probably because I grew up watching Rocko and came to love Lazlo when it premiered. I ain't kiddin' when I say that Rocko was the only cartoon from the 90's to rival the insanity of Ren and Stimpy! Other than that, every character he's made has a distinct design and, most importantly, he has a GREAT concept of character. I love how every story he writes stays in focus with the characters and how they can relate to a modern audience.

If you're interested, you can get the book on Amazon.com for about $15. A good deal!

The Looney Tunes Show

This post is something that I wanted to get off of my chest for a while. Judging by the title, I think you already know what it is. So here we (Or I ,rather) go...

To begin, this show has been bashed by so many animation fans simply because of the new character designs by one of my favorite modern artists, Jessica Borutski. (And it's not even out yet!) I liked her two shorts, I Like Pandas and The Good Bunny With the Bad Teeth. That constellations idea she had for a show was really cool too. Overall, her art is very pleasant to look at and she definatly has developed a style of her own.

However, back last year, she was bashed for her designs on a new Looney Tunes show. If you haven't seen it, here they are:

That's just Bugs and Daffy. So why are people bashing Miss Borutski, you ask? Well first of all, some animation fans, like me, grew up with these characters and really don't want to see their appearances changed on this kind of level. If you noticed, the characters are more angular than before and they have extremely simplified shapes so that they can be animated easier on a flash program like ToonBoom or whatever it's called. A lot of animation fans really hate this kind of thing and prefer the lush style of traditional animation. I know I refer the old way over flash.

Even the plot of the show got people fired up in a bad way. Well, instead of being their usual, slapstick selves, we get to see what life is like for Bugs, Daffy, and the other Looney Tunes outside of the Warner Bros lot. We see the rabbit and duck (both voiced by Jeff Burgman for the first time in 10 years) living together in a house. Trust me, they didn't want to see them looking like this:

Now now it comes to this: what do I think of them?

Well, they are appealing in their own right. I'm not too angry about the radical change of appearances. Even 70 years ago, the great directors and artists of Termite Terrace had changed these characters slightly to fit their own styles. Jones, Avery, Clampett, McKimson, Freling, Davis, Tashlin, and all the other animation directors had their own way of designing these characters and modeling their personalities to their own desire. Even I do it! (I think I'll try this again in a while in color too.) For instance, I give Bugs' ears black tips, a feature not seen since Elmer's Candid Camera in 1940. Say what you want, I think they look kind of cool.

I actually like some of these designs myself. While Bug's new look mis growing on me, I really enjoy the way Daffy, Pepe, Marvin, The Gossamer, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn, Sylvester, and Petunia Pig. (kudos on Borutski for reintroducing a character not seen since 1937) I think my favorite overall is Sylvester's look. It kind of reminds me of McKimson's look for the cat: a big nose with short legs.

I accept the fact that these are Borutski's own versions of theses classic characters and as true admirers of animation, we should try to look at the positives. After all, she's doing something that not a lot of new artists get the chance to do: reintroduce these classic characters to a new generation with new concepts and ideas. I think it's only fair that we should at least honor Borutski for her efforts and goals for this show. If you have kids, then I would expose them to both this new show and the classics that are beautifully restored on the boxed DVD sets. If they like one over the other, that's fine.

As for the show's writing quality, well... look for yourself:

#1

#2

I wasn't impressed by the first clip, but I thought that the second was a little better. (I just noticed Mac and Tosh made a cameo)

I think I'm going to wait until February when this show comes out and take a look for myself. To be honest, it looks better than some of the other attempts of reintroducing the Looney Tunes or classic cartoon characters in general. (Remember Loonatics?.... I thought not. And don't make me mention that godawful Yogi Bear movie!) Keep in mind that this is going to be completely different from the classics of the golden age because humor has changed over the years.

For now, I'm keeping my optimistic perspective for this new show and hope it turns out better than people claim it is. My only hope that after this Borutski can have a shot of doing more of her own original ideas for TV. So rest your sphincters, gentlemen.

Phew! Glad I got that off of my chest!

Oh, and Happy New Year to you readers.